WILLIAMSBURG, KY – The RV University of the Cumberlands football team battled No. 13 Campbellsville throughout Saturday afternoon's Mid-South Conference opener but ultimately fell 33-26 at James H. Taylor, II Stadium. The Patriots overcame multiple deficits and tied the contest twice in the second half, but the Tigers held off a late UC rally to secure the victory. Cumberlands moves to 4-2 overall and 0-1 in MSC play.
Drew Gregg completed 17-of-34 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown while adding a rushing score.
Michael Petty led the receiving corps with 61 yards and a touchdown on three receptions, while
Skylar Adams hauled in a team-high five passes for 31 yards.
Cade Lamb contributed 31 rushing yards and a touchdown on two carries, while
Juan Bullard Jr. added 36 yards and a score on nine attempts.
Tanner Marsh rushed for 33 yards and completed a pass for five yards.
Defensively,
Zander Curry led the Patriots with 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Jeremiah DeRoche followed with nine tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, while
Brandon Burke added seven stops.
Jaquon Hall recorded five tackles, two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, while
Kantrel Smith finished with four tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. The Patriots totaled 11 tackles for loss and four sacks while limiting Campbellsville to 121 passing yards.
The Patriot defense came up with several stops in the opening quarter to keep the contest scoreless. After Campbellsville advanced to the UC eight-yard line on its first possession, the Tigers missed a 29-yard field goal. The Patriots then forced another missed field goal later in the quarter, with
Jace Hatfield recording a sack to help stall the drive.
Cumberlands moved the chains on its second possession behind completions from Gregg to Adams and Lamb, along with a pair of Marsh runs. However, the drive ended with an interception near midfield, and neither team found the end zone during the opening 15 minutes.
Campbellsville broke the scoreless tie early in the second quarter with a 71-yard touchdown run to take a 7-0 advantage. The Patriots responded immediately as
Ronye Watson returned the ensuing kickoff 56 yards to the Tigers' 31-yard line.
UC capitalized on the field position with a five-play scoring drive. Marsh opened the possession with an eight-yard run before Bullard broke free for a 15-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving Cumberlands trailing 7-6 with 11:05 remaining in the half.
The Patriot defense then created another scoring opportunity. DeRoche and Smith combined for a three-yard tackle for loss before UC forced an incompletion on third down. On fourth down,
Cale Cartwright brought down the Campbellsville punter for a 21-yard loss, giving Cumberlands possession at the Tigers' one-yard line.
Gregg needed just one play to capitalize, crossing the goal line from a yard out off a QB sneak.
Khalil Arman's extra point gave the Patriots their first lead of the afternoon at 13-7 with 10:01 remaining in the second quarter.
Cumberlands continued to create pressure defensively, with Smith recording a tackle for loss and Hall adding a quarterback hurry on Campbellsville's next two possessions. However, the Tigers took advantage of a UC holding penalty in the end zone for a safety, trimming the lead to 13-9 with 4:36 remaining before halftime.
Campbellsville regained the advantage on its ensuing possession, marching 75 yards before connecting on a 40-yard touchdown pass to move ahead 16-13 with 1:52 remaining. The Patriots threatened to answer before the break. Watson returned the kickoff 46 yards to the Campbellsville 44 before Gregg found Petty for a 36-yard gain to the eight-yard line. UC was unable to capitalize, however, as an interception in the end zone ended the drive and sent the Patriots into halftime trailing by three.
Campbellsville opened the second half with a 62-yard drive that resulted in a 29-yard field goal, extending its lead to 19-13. Cumberlands answered with one of its longest possessions of the afternoon. Starting at their own 36, the Patriots marched 64 yards on 10 plays, converting a fourth-and-one on a Gregg run before Lamb broke free for 13 yards on third down. Bullard followed with a 15-yard gain to the Campbellsville 18, setting up Lamb's 18-yard reverse touchdown run. The extra point attempt failed, leaving the game tied 19-19 with 5:46 remaining in the third quarter.
The Tigers responded immediately with a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown, reclaiming a 26-19 advantage just 12 seconds later.
UC once again answered with a sustained scoring drive. Beginning at its own 44, the Patriots moved 56 yards on 10 plays, highlighted by an eight-yard reception from Lamb on third down and a 16-yard completion to
Jayden Clayton on fourth-and-four. Gregg eventually connected with Petty for a 19-yard touchdown, and Arman's extra point tied the game at 26-26 with 22 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Campbellsville used a strong kickoff return and a UC penalty to begin its next possession at the Patriots' 36-yard line. The Tigers needed just two plays to retake the lead, scoring on an 18-yard touchdown run six seconds into the fourth quarter to make it 33-26.
The Cumberlands defense kept the Patriots within striking distance throughout the final period. Hall recorded a seven-yard sack to force a Campbellsville punt before the Tigers put together another lengthy drive following a UC interception.
With Campbellsville threatening inside the red zone, the Patriot defense came up with another critical stand. Curry recorded a 19-yard sack on third-and-goal to push the Tigers back to the UC 32-yard line. On the ensuing 49-yard field goal attempt,
Jalavis Wilson broke through to block the kick, and
Jalen Yearby recovered it to give Cumberlands possession at the Campbellsville 42 with 2:31 remaining.
The Patriots moved quickly downfield as Gregg connected with Adams for 10 yards before finding Watson for 15 on fourth down. Another completion to Adams moved UC to the 11-yard line, and a five-yard pass to
Carter Stewart brought the Patriots inside the 10.
Gregg appeared to connect with Lamb for a six-yard touchdown with 40 seconds remaining, but a holding penalty erased the score. A subsequent false start pushed the Patriots back to the 20, and Campbellsville intercepted a fourth-down hailmary pass in the end zone to end UC's comeback attempt.
Cumberlands finished with 248 yards of offense, including 151 passing and 97 rushing, while Campbellsville totaled 358 yards. The Patriots converted four of their five fourth-down attempts and scored on five of six red-zone opportunities, but four interceptions and 12 penalties for 107 yards proved costly. Defensively, UC held the Tigers to just 9-of-17 passing while recording 11 tackles for loss, four sacks and a blocked field goal.
The Patriots will return to action next Saturday as they travel to McKenzie, TN to take on Bethel. Kickoff is set for 2:30 PM ET/1:30 PM CT.
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